BAKU: Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has said that his country is “closer than ever” to reaching a peace agreement with Armenia, following the recapture of its Karabakh region from its ethnic Armenian majority.
President Aliyev expressed these remarks after meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Baku. He emphasized that they are now at a point closer to achieving peace ever before.
Stoltenberg acknowledged and welcomed this progress toward peace between the two countries, urging Azerbaijan to avail the opportunity to finalise a lasting peace agreement with Armenia.
Azerbaijan’s President
In December, both countries issued a joint statement expressing their commitment to reaching a peace agreement and have since engaged in numerous discussions, including two days of negotiations in Berlin in February.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan dates back to 1988 when they first went to war over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. After decades of hostility, Azerbaijan regained control of Karabakh in September, which had been under the control of its ethnic Armenian majority since the 1990s, despite being internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
Crucial aspects in securing a peace treaty include defining borders and establishing regional transport corridors through each other’s territories. Additionally, Armenia has raised concerns about determining control over ethnic enclaves on both sides of the border.
